Another shot of the Master Chief in front of an early tank model. Difficult to say whether this is the Scorpion or the Stealth Tank, but from the coloration I'd guess it's the Scorpion.

Beams from this Covie's weapons are a slightly different color than we're used to-- not to mention the use of continuous streams rather than discrete bolts.

The marine, Master Chief and Warthog models are all seen here in their E3 2000 form, very close to the eventual final versions.

Although this screenshot was taken before Halo's engine was changed to suit the Xbox, the Hunter model seems clearly very close to its final form.

The famous E3 2000 demo featured the revised, chunkier Master Chief model, which was controversial at the time-- and a dramatic script and fantastic visuals that made it instantly popular. It was shown to an audience of fans at a Bungie FanFest at Neutral Ground in New York, New York, scheduled to coincide with MacWorld that year.

This shot is from around the time of the E3 2000 demo. This marine was referred to as "McLees" after Robert McLees. (I believe he also voiced the part.) Note the indoor environments, which are quite different from the final ones, especially the door control.

Halo was originally to feature several different kinds of ambient life. Here, a dinosaur-like creature menaces the Master Chief. Other scenes in the E3 2000 demo film showed marines driving a Warthog through a herd of short, toothy beasts called Blind Wolves.

Halo was originally to feature battles on land and sea, and early builds had water craft. Perhaps that's the reason why this Banshee is seen half-submerged, something Halo fans wouldn't see again until the release of Death Island in the Mac/PC version.

An early shot of a tank in Halo. This one is most likely what became the Scorpion tank in the shipping game. The other tank, the so-called Stealth Tank, was lower and wider and did not make the cut into the shipping version of Halo 1.

A nearly full-frontal shot of the early Master Chief model. He wasn't even called that (at least publicly) at that time. This was part of a two-page spread in a gaming magazine; the opposite leaf showed Marines piling out of a Pelican. This was before the revision to the Chief's model that was revealed around E3 2000, bulking him up significantly. The MC model for Halo 2 is a bit closer to this stature, with the look and colors of the E3 2000 version.

Can we do it again?

An old MC model with a sniper rifle. That red dot, we can only assume, was either a laser sight for better targeting, or perhaps a way of giving opposing players a way of finding you. Note the complex geography in the background.

This early model of Halo's protagonist showed how much it has changed over the course of the game's development. This model owes quite a bit to the marine in Marathon. With Halo 2, the Master Chief has slimmed down a bit, and now appears as a combination of this older look and the green, but not-so-lean edition that was featured in the original shipping version of Halo.

A closeup of the Banshee model against one of the gorgeous skies that typified early Halo screenshots.

The E3 2000 demo ended with the Halo marine waving a Bungie flag high atop a ridge. This shot shows a similar flag, now reading "Halo", being carried by the MC as he flees a firing Ghost. Like many of the vehicles-- the Warthog, the Banshee, and the Pelican-- these models are very close to their final forms.